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Raw Story's headline:  "GOP talking points encourage using Lieberman to attack Democrats on war."  I think it's a bit redundant of Boehner to think Republicans need to be reminded of this, they do it quite axiomatically so I can only imagine this is being done to rub it in the noses of all the Democrats who helped Holy Joe get elected.  As Atrios said recently, we tried to warn them.... 

BooMan says that Ari Fleischer may have committed perjury.  While Fleischer is no stranger to big-scale lies, this one doesn't make any sense to me -- why would he blow an immunity deal over something so inconsequential?  John Dickerson is telling a different, quite breathless story.  But Dickerson has been frantic to call attention to himself during the entire investigation and damn near cried when Fitzgerald wouldn't give him a subpoena, so it's nice that after getting kicked to the curb by Time and toiling in the Slate ghetto for so long he's finally lifting himself out of obscurity by sitting in the courtroom and getting the attention he craves.  Far be it from me to defend Ari Fleischer, but Dickerson is no stranger to having abject lies printed under his byline without protest, so I think I'll withhold judgment on this one for the time being.

What the hell is wrong with Florida? 

Howie Klein weighs in on Chuck Hagel, who may be positioning himself slightly to the left of Bob Fertik on the war but is also, as Howie reminds us, "a far right Republican who has rubber stamped virtually every stinking turd the Bush Regime has sent careening down the pike."  Food for thought for anyone thinking of lifting the pom-poms for Hagel.

This is quite possibly the stupidest article of the week.  Hillary Clinton is quaking in her boots because Andrew Sullivan thinks she has cooties?  Somehow I don't think so.  TBogg sums the situation up quite nicely:  "Color me skeptical, but I'm not sure that Mickey Kaus can break a twenty, much less Hillary Clinton."

Maxine Waters and other leaders of the Out of Iraq Caucus will be heading to early Democratic primary states to put the screws to Presidential candidates with regard to Iraq, to find out "who is nuancing and who is tip-toeing."  When the heavy lifting needs doing, somehow Maxine Waters is always there and willing to do it.   

Mark Schmitt reviews Chuck Schumer's passionate commitment to "half-way-ism."  Money quote?  "I don't know what a 'Schumer Box' is or how it reduces porn, and I'm not sure I want to know."

Russ Feingold chairs a Committee Hearing today designed to demonstrate that Congress does, in fact, have the authority to compel the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, something the Republicans had no problem asserting during the Clinton administration.  Glenn Greenwald takes us for a trip on the Double Talk Express and brings us John McCain:  Then & Now.  It is, as one would imagine, full of stirring moments of political hackery and hypocrisy, basically what we've come to expect from He Who Shall Not Be Challenged By the Media. 

Mercury Rising has a new home.  So does Steve Gilliard.  Check your bookmarks.  (BTW, Steve and Tom Schaller think Big Time is el-bye bye, and Atrios says no.  Discuss among yourselves.)